Lighter



g- 5, 1952 M. J. BUSACCO 1 2,605,627

LIGHTER Filed Aug. 11. 1949 IN VEN TOR. Mamas dflua/lc'ao Patented Aug. 5,

1 LIGHTER BrooklymN. .Y., assignor to, v u Jarco- Metal Produc M iiiJ Busacc o,

' .i. l Y a P rtnership ts Company, New vYorle;

- ApplicationAugustll, 1949,-$erial No. 109 ,689

driven bythe lighter capand is rotated through a' wide arc to produce an efficient spark, and in which the number of operating partsis reduced to aminimum;

Other objects and advantages of myiinventi'on will appear from the following description of apreferred embodiment and from the drawings, in Which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the lighter;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the lighter;

. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lighter f 20 taken along the, line 3-;.3 of Fig. 1; I f

Fig.4 is a side-cross-sectional view. of the up per section. of the lighter showing theoperation of the cap; 1

V Fig. 5 is a front cross-sectional view of the upper section of the lighter taken :along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a side cross-sectionalview of the lighter oap. As can be seen portion II and a lighter [4.

open bottom of the body cap l3 pivotally affixed to the body by pin The top of the lighter cap is gently rounded to be engaged by a thumb orlother finger of a hand and to be actuated thereby. The cap extends down over the body of the lighter in frontand curves upward at the rear..

As shown in-Fig. 3; the bodyportion ll consists of anouter wall [5, a base plate It afiixedto theinside of said wall near the upper portion of the body and which dividesthebody portion into an upper section30 and a lower section 3|. The upper section 30 is of a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape. The base plate is provided with an aperture forthe wick l1 and with a threaded flint tube "3* which projects therethrough and which contains the flint 19, the flint spring and the adjusting. screw 2 l. The lower section 3| is filled with an absorbent mass 22'to absorb and hold the lighter fluid. The closure 12 which fits snugly into the body conceals the absorbent mass and the flint tube, prevents the lighter fluid from evaporating and provides the means by which the wick maybe replaced, the

from a comparison of- Figs. :1v and 2, the external parts of the lighter comprise. a body portion 1 l, a closure [2 which nestsin the:

' 1 Claim. (Cl. elf-1.1)

flint-replaced or adjusted'and the fluid supply replenished. 1

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the outer wall l5 of the upper section is formed so as to provide a high upstanding rear portion by which the pin I4' and the cap l3 are supported and which continues around both sides of the upper section so as to provide a wind deflector for the sparking means and the wick. Directly before the wick at the front of the lighter, the wan is cut down to provide an entrance for-thecigar or cigarette-end when the cap is lifted. r 1

As can best be seen 'by a comparison of Figs; 3

. and 5, pin 14 projects through both sides of the outer wall lit at the rear of the lighter and through both sides-of the cap l3; the protruding ends of the'pin are spread. Thus, the cap is rotatably afiixed to the lighterbody, and as can be seen from a comparison of Fig. 2,- showing thecap inthe closed position and Fig. 4 showing the cap in the open-position; due-to the shape of the cap and the oif centerposition of pin l4,-'the cap is capable of rotating-some to from.

theclosed to th'efully openposition when the outside rear wall of the cap contacts the rear wall of the upper section.

As can best be seen in Fig, 6, a platen is affixed to the inside of the front of the cap I3 The V plate 23 is provided with an aperture 24, through which the pin I4 fits when the lighter is assembled. Plate 23 isprovided with an extended portion 25 having a cam ZQwhichis adapted to engage the sparking wheel; r v As shown in Fig. 5, rotatably mounted on the center portion of pin l4 between the walls" l5of the. uppersection 30 is plate2'3, sparking wheel 26, and coiled spring 21; "Coiled spring-*2! is tightly wound' so that the-coils -contact each other; The left side'of wheel'2fi is provided-with four wedge shaped elements 28, radiallyd'isposed at equal angular" intervlals thereon. Plate 23 rests-against the shaped side of wheel 28 and cam 29 isin position-to engag one of the'ele- 2 I. Spring -21-"is""'co'iled arduridfliirfI4 and one end of the spring presses against the inside of the front wall of the cap and the other end on pin 14 in the directionof thearrow. As prethe roughened surface "by s'prin p211. and screw;

. a I i 3 viously explained cap I3 is positioned to rotate some 100 to 110, but sparking wheel 26 has only four wedge-shaped elements on it and thus can be rotated only approximately 90. Thus the movement of the cap which causes plate 23 to rotate on pin I 4 moving cam 29 toward the wadge-shaped element of wheel 26 encompasses some 10 to 20 of rotation before the cam contacts the; wedge, element. In this interval of movement coiled spring-21 is beingwound, which causes its tightly coiled width to expand between the walls of the upper section and the flat side of wheel 26 and forces the shaped side of the wheel 26 against plate 23, so that when the cam contacts the wedge-shapedel'ementoi the wheel, to cause the wheel to rotate; there-is aapositive pressure between the wheel and the plate which insures that the cam will engage, the-wheel, and positively rotate it. This pressure increases as the wheel is rotated.

Thus as cam 29 rotates wheel 26, the wheel strikes a shower or spar-ks; from flint; l; directed against wick l1. V

Theends of coiled spring 21' arebmughtcloser o the as, the can opened. o. an s soon, as fin r: pr s ure, is, released the: can; snaps closed under: its; urging, extinguishing the. flame of; the Wick; 7 y I Thew se elements.v oiithe; sparking wheelare hape sos st oi elen ae di y m 29 wh n n i mqv d-,.c1ockwise., but. to V permitithecam to slip 1 back,- to; its; original: positionzwithout' the wheel being rotated when, the, cap; moves u t ockw se; asrs initial 4:1; The; wheel sn esainst; n verse: rotation, by the; pressure si cd h el; 1 r tates; approximately a: full 90, an efficien show rwoi: parks is: produced; andawheel; of smaller; diameter thanis ordinariy use in; pyronhoric: hters; s: made: p ssible.

I cam-asitrotates. when the cap is opened and to A180 ince nly t ur. wedse;sha-pe l: elements.

need be; provided: one; side oi the; wheel, the, Whe l. is less exp nsive; to; manufacture, V

my;invention.v Wha I pressed spring, and adjusting screw therein, said wick and flint projecting through the base plate into the upper section, the cap having afiixed to it a plate with a cam thereon, a cap, a plate, a sparking wheel positioned next to the plate, and a coiled spring positioned between the sparking wheel and a side wall of the upper section, all being rotatably mounted on a pin which passes through the sidewalls oi." the; upper section of the lighter; and the side walls of the cap, at the rear of the lighter and which is positioned over the flint, the rim of the sparking wheel contacting the flint, the sparking wheel having four wedgeshaped elements radially disposed at approximately equal angular intervals of 90- on-the side thereof positioned next to the cam; the elements being shaped to engage the slip by the cam as the cap closes, the cam lying between two of the wedges when the cap is closed, the shape of the walls of the cap being high: atitherear of the lighter and the position of: the pin being: mounted at: the rear of the lighter permitsithe cap, affixed. plate and cam torotate through an angleiof approximately 110 before the upperrearv wall of the cap contacts the rear wall of the upper section, whereby'when the. cap is openedrthe cap, aflixed pl'ateland cam rotate. inrespect-tto the. body. portion approximately 20? before; the cam contacts a. wedgesliapeoz' element, the, cam successively engaging eachiwedgei-shaped elementin turnas the cap of the lighter is successively opened andclosed,

the coiled-spring pressing the shaped side of the-wheelagainst'itlie plate and cam, the. spring being: coiled around said pin in a plurality of convolutions lying side by side, said convolutions filling the: space between the wall of the upper section and the: adjacent side of the sparking, wheel ialongrsaidpin, said spring having one end pressing. against the inside of the top of -the frontswall'of the .cap' and the 'other'end pressing: against the insideof. the .top' of the rear wall of the upper section whereby when the cover is manually opened the two ends of the'gsprin'g are. brought across each other and an additional length of spring is bent around said pin,'. thereby increasing the coiled width of the spring along the 'pin pressure;- between the sparking wheel and the Y plate; and oam;.beforeaand aftersaid cam-conto closedppsition, the body-portionhaving aabase plate i iding theo y ort on, into, an upper: s t onv a -1 a l w r..-secticn; the; walls or. the. upper section being' lowin, the front, of; the

lighter and being high at the' rearand upwards ly curved therebetweenjhe cap,fitting exterior-- wzatathej frontj of gangsta tube with: a flint, com-- ls of, the upper section, the walls;

' at, v the rear, and downwardly; fd lower section includntaining an absorbent V tactsathez wedgeeshaped element of" the sparking wheel-.1

' MORRIS J. BUSACCO;

REFERENCES CITED:

file of-this'patentr- V r I UNITEDVSTATES PATENTS Ninnbelw Name: o Date 1,060,150?" :Adamianl'et *.a-l.'. Apr; 252,11913 1,674,51961 Boone, .June 19, 1928' V f FOREIGN PATENTS" Number Country Date;

294,743 Germany, ....Oct. 24,1918- 469,115, Great-Britain Jan. 21, 1937 and increasingthe 

